A MAN who almost “begged” a woman for sex, despite her repeated rejection of his advances, went through with the act even though he knew she had twice previously been raped.

Unknown to rapist Ryan Thompson, however, the woman had the foresight to record the incident on her phone.

Durham Crown Court heard that after the attack was reported Thompson was arrested.

He denied any sexual activity had taken place, but after the recording of the hour-plus scenario was played to him, he claimed he had been, “set up.”

Shaun Dodds, prosecuting, read extracts of the recording to the hearing, in which Thompson was continually “pestering” her for sex, telling the victim she would, “enjoy it once it started.”

When she repeatedly asked him to stop, he pushed her head onto a pillow and asked her: “Are you going to cry ‘rape’?”

Mr Dodds said on leaving he sent the woman a text saying: “Don’t tell anyone what happened”, making threats to set fire and petrol bomb her house.

In her victim statement read to the court, she said the incident, combined with the two previous attacks, had, “a massive impact on me,” requiring medication to help her to sleep, leaving her with, “trust issues”, with men.

She added: “I hope he gets the justice he deserves so I don’t have to worry anymore.”

Thompson, 25, of Maudlin Street, Hetton-le-Hole, admitted rape, but his basis of plea was not accepted by the prosecution and a trial of issue was to have taken place this week.

He resiled from that weeks before the scheduled hearing, however, and accepted the prosecution case on full facts.

The court heard he has a previous conviction for assaulting a former partner in breach of a restraining order.

Helen Towers, for Thompson, said: “I accept his ‘begging’ for sex may feel particularly distasteful and does aggravate it.”

But she said he has expressed, “genuine remorse and shame”, and, “some victim empathy.”

Judge Ray Singh said Thompson, “humiliated, degraded, before threatening the victim.

“You knew she had been subject of two previous rapes because she told you about them.

“Yet, you carried on regardless.

“She says ‘no’ many times and you ignore that and say you are going to do it anyway.

“It was a prolonged and sustained incident and she was a vulnerable individual.”

Imposing a seven-year prison sentence, he made Thompson subject of a restraining order and notification requirements as a sex offender, both for life.

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